Don’t Double Down on Your Double Chin

The word “double” usually has a pretty good association: double plays or doubles in the gap on the baseball diamond, doubling down at the blackjack table, double savings on a coupon.

Double chins. Not so cool.

The funny thing about double chins is that we always think everyone else has one, but there’s nothing to see under “my” chin. Truth be told — most of us have some unwanted business going on under our collective chins.

Want to feel better? Call it Submental fullness. That’s the clinical term for “double chin.”

It’s interesting that the aesthetic industry has paid so little attention to this area of the body. Short of surgery — a facelift or neck lift or liposuction — there’s really been little else you could do to get rid of a double chin.

Now that has changed with Kybella®, a prescription medicine available from Dr. Puente. Kybella® is the prescription brand name for an injection formulated with deoxycholic acid that dramatically improves the appearance and profile of moderate to severe fat below the chin, the proverbial double chin.

Most people have a double chin

If you’ve got some junk under your jaw, you’re not alone. The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery conducted a survey in 2015 and found that 67% of people said they’re bothered by a double chin. If you weren’t a math major, that’s two thirds of the country! And people in the survey were equally bugged by their double chin as they were about wrinkles and other signs of aging.

Kybella® to the rescue

Your options have been surgery if you wanted to get rid of your double chin…until now! In April 2015 the FDA approved Kybella®, the only injectable treatment to improve the appearance and profile of a double chin.

The basis of Kybella® is deoxycholic acid. Deoxycholic acid is a naturally occurring molecule in the body whose job is to aid in the breakdown and absorption of dietary fat. When injected into the fat beneath the chin, Kybella® (and its deoxycholic acid) destroys the fat cells. After those cells are gone, there is no longer a storage mechanism to accumulate fat in the area. So your double chin shouldn’t return!

Multiple treatments yield the best results

Dr. Puente customizes his Kybella® treatments for every patient. Some patients see the results they want after two to four treatments; others require six. That’s the maximum number allowed by the FDA. The number of treatments will depend on the amount of fat stored under your chin, along with your desired final profile. Each treatment is spaced four weeks apart.

The main side effect with Kybella® is swelling. This occurs when the deoxycholic acid begins to attack the fat cells. This swelling can linger, but for most people it only lasts a few days.

Doubles are for the baseball diamond, not your chin. Call us at Skin & Cosmetic Solutions, (919) 876-9576 and ask us about Kybella®.